sink or swim

So, Kindy went on another field trip and this time it was to Tigerland water park. Let me just say right now that a water park in Asia isn't just a water park. This place was amazing!! It was all indoor and literally was massive! Huge pools, little pools, kid pools, hot tubs, water tube rides, slides, lazy river, food court, cafes, shower rooms, outdoor pools, and... get this... full on ski slopes! Now you know a little more why I was a nervous wreck for, oh lets say the whole day. :) The kids were so excited! There were 17 kids and 4 teachers so we had our group pretty well under control until you factor in the other thousand kids that were all wearing almost the exact same thing! 

We were shown to our little spot and given a mat to sit on and have our lunch before it was our time to go down to the pools. There are certain things that don't stress me out that maybe would had I not been raised in an African village. However, that being said, it still catches me a little off guard when I'm instructed to start stripping the kids right there in the middle of everyone and get them changed...girls, boys, doesn't matter. Its just a difference in culture, that's all... you just go with it.  In about 15 minutes we had all the kids changed into their swim gear and sitting down to a picnic lunch. 

After lunch it was off to the pools! All the kids were issued matching life jackets which was the one thing that stressed me out. Yes I was happy for their safety but it made them blend in all the more. We did lose one child but I'm sure she knew exactly where she was and was having a grand time! I was given charge over the two 5 year olds which would have been easy had they not wanted to go in completely separate directions every time I turned my head! :) I survived and so did they. 

It is a little dark but I wanted you to get an idea of how big the main part 

was and how many people were there! 

The kids were having an absolute blast! Was it fun for the teachers? Absolutely. Was it at all relaxing? Not a chance! I was giving them rides, wrestling in the water, and playing ball the entire time. Believe me... it was a work out and a half! I think my favorite thing from the entire day was my little "What about Bob" moment with Jack... He was feeling some trepidation about the deeper water so I took him for a swim on my back around the lazy river. He is one of the bigger kids so I was getting a little tired while swimming and suddenly got a toe cramp and was in pain. At that very moment, in a very excited voice, Jack said "I can swim!" I don't think it really dawned on him that I was doing all the work! :) 

We went back up to our spot for a little rest and snack. 

Some of the other school kids were pretty tuckered out :) 

After a short break, we hit the pools again. By this time most of the other school had left so there wasn't nearly as many people as before and my stress levels went down substantially. After spending the entire day in heavily chlorinated water, my skin had very bit of moisture sucked out of it and almost every bit of my red was rinsed out of my hair but I still had a good time. We had done a prepaid package for the day which included a small dinner so we took the kids up to the dinning room and fed them supper. After dinner it was time to get the kids cleaned up. Here comes culture shock number 2: Community showering which I opted out of by simply saying, "I think I'm just gonna change in the bathroom and shower when I get home.." 

 There are some things in life I just can't do... 

And a good time was had by all...